One more phase of the ‘Healthy Army - Healthy Nation’ campaign, slated to cut down disability and death (morbidity and mortality) among Army personnel due to kidney failures, heart attacks, Diabetes, Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, got underway on Monday (10) as a project of the Security Force Headquarters - West (SFHQ-West) at the Sri Lanka Signal Corps (SLSC) auditorium, Panagoda with the attendance of medical specialists of the Army Hospital and elsewhere.
The ongoing ‘Healthy Army - Healthy Nation’ campaign of the Army saw its birth in 2012 as a project of the Directorate of Army Medical Services (DAMS) after it was found that many military personnel retiring in their 40s upon completion of 22 years of service, had by then developed one or more those Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) or vulnerable conditions that would inevitably lead to health complications during their retirement.
A team of medical experts at the Colombo Military Hospital, having observed a steady increase in those diseases among Army personnel, launched the initial project, emphasizing the striking need for a systematic programme of health promotion, education, screening and a continuous surveillance in this direction under the sustained ‘Healthy Army - Healthy Nation’ (HAHN) campaign.
In Sri Lanka, currently chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in particular Cardio Vascular Diseases (including Heart Disease and Stroke) and Hypertension, Diabetes, Chronic Lung Diseases and Chronic Kidney Diseases are overtaking Communicable Diseases as the dominant health problem and are now the leading cause of mortality, morbidity and disability.
Lieutenant General Chrishanthe De Silva who was the Guest of Honour at the occasion welcomed the day’s Chief Guest Mr B.M.U.D. Basnayaka, Defence Secretary on arrival, together with Major General U.A.B Medawela, Commander, SFHQ-West.
As the programme was on, Brigadier A.S.M Wijewardena, one of the prime movers of the project presented the distinguished guests with copies of the booklet, ‘Healthy Army - Healthy Nation’. Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director General of Army Health Services was also associated with the event.
This awareness project was programmed as per medical directions given by Brigadier A.S.M Wijewardena, Consultant Executive Programme Coordinator, HANA on the guidelines of Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe and directives of Brigadier K.P Sumanapala, Director Army Medical Services.
Brigadier A.S.M Wijewardena, enlightened the participants regarding the objectives & implementation of the project during her presentation where she underlined the significance of educating Army personnel on these aspects continuously.
Afterwards Dr. Thilak Siriwardena, Direcctor of the NCD Unit of the Ministry of Health delivered the guest lecture on prevention of NCD.
Mr B.M.U.D Basnayake, Secretary of Defence, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army and Major General U.A.B Medawela, Commander, SFHQ-West also made some observations before the gathering. Towards the end of the programme, Major General Medawela appreciating the presence of Mr B.M.U.D Basnayake presented a memento.
Deputy Chief of staff, Major General Mahinda Ambanpola, Adjutant General Mahinda Hathurusinghe, Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander Security Force Headquarters - Kilinochchi, Major General P.U.S Vithanage, Commander, Security Force Headquarters - Mullaittivu and many senior officers and a large gathering of SFHQ-West officers and other rankers attended the programme.
Director, National Non-Communicable Diseases Association, together with three more consultants also contributed to the success of the programme.
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